Superbooth 2026 highlights

There’s a buzz in the air when Superbooth hits Berlin. The 2026 edition opened on May 7 and celebrated ten years of giving independent instrument makers a platform. As always, the announcements ran the gamut from €125 curiosities to €12k flagship monsters. Walking the halls felt like wandering through a candy store for synth nerds.

The standout for many producers was the Buchla Ziggy. It’s a compact, monophonic analogue synthesizer that distills the complex oscillator and low‑pass gate from the Buchla 200 system into a self‑contained desktop box. At roughly €1,025 it isn’t cheap, but it’s the most affordable entry into the Buchla sound yet. As someone who’s lusted after a 200‑series module for years, I’m seriously considering putting my pre‑order down.

On the more experimental side, SOMA Laboratory unveiled Enigma. Instead of keys and knobs, it responds to metallic objects placed on its surface; sensors beneath track the object’s type, position and mass to generate sound. It’s a wild concept that continues SOMA’s tradition of instruments that change the way you interact with sound. Pricing and release dates remain a mystery, but the prototype drew crowds.

Vintage fans were drawn to the Polivoks‑8, a polyphonic revival of the Soviet‑era Polivoks. Elta Mubris, but that’s a rabbit hole for another day.

Hot plugin deals

If you’re looking to fatten your plugin folder without emptying your wallet, now’s the time. Audio Plugin Guy’s ultimate deals list shows Fixate:Midrange by Newfangled Audio at 43% off (down to $79). Zynaptiq’s morphing powerhouse MORPH 3 is 46% off, and Safari Audio’s Super Chunk granular synth is half price.

Reveal Sound’s iconic Spire synth gets a 59% discount, bringing it to $76. Antelope Audio is practically giving away its DXDesser and Diode 609 compressors at around $15 each. If you’ve ever wanted to expand your toolkit on the cheap, this is your moment.

A few bundles are mind‑blowingly discounted: the Serum Bundle by Aubit Sound is 97% off, costing just $20. There’s even a freebie – the Luthéal Piano Cimbalom library from Realsamples. Deals like these don’t last forever, so grab them before they expire later this month.

DAW updates

Avid has dropped Pro Tools 2026.4, and it’s more than a maintenance release. The headline feature is the new Track Pin function, which lets you lock important tracks in view while scrolling through huge sessions. Immersive audio fans get built‑in support for the MPEG‑H broadcast standard, with an included renderer plugin developed by Fraunhofer IIS.

Dolby Headphone Personalization is another big win – you capture your head/ear shape via a smartphone app and upload the profile to Pro Tools, improving spatial accuracy when monitoring immersive mixes. For producers, the update also adds Native Instruments’ Massive X Player and a collection of new expansion packs. Pro Tools subscribers can download the update now.

Artist & producer news

On the album front, Swedish singer‑songwriter Lykke Li released her sixth and final LP, THE AFTERPARTY. Clocking in at just 24 minutes, it was written in Los Angeles and recorded in Stockholm with a 17‑piece string section, multiple drummers and a full chorus. The record is her most sonically expansive, blending disco shimmer and gospel brightness while grappling with themes of shame, revenge and mortality. She’ll be touring the world this summer, with dates across South America and Europe.

Meanwhile, French producer Madeon announced his first album since 2019’s Good Faith. Titled Victory, the ten‑track project lands on June 26 via Mom+Pop Music and features collaborations with Slayyyter, Erick The Architect and Sam Gellaitry. Lead single “Fire Away” dropped alongside the announcement and was debuted during his Coachella set. The record spans punk, indie rock, electro‑clash and sci‑fi influences, turning heartbreak and identity crises into stadium‑sized anthems. If his recent Red Rocks headline is anything to go by, the live show will be wild.

That’s it for today’s roundup. Check back tomorrow for more free plugins, fresh gear and producer gossip. Stay creative and keep those loops dead.